1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to biological stains. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of pyrylium and thiapyrylium compounds as stains for biological cells and tissues.
2. Description of Related Art
The staining of biological cells and tissues with dyes, especially fluorochromic dyes, in order to differentiate one from another or simply to render them more easily observable under a microscope or other sensing means is well known in the art. Many of these dyes interact with the DNA or the RNA of the cell, or both, yielding products that fluoresce at different wavelengths, thereby being distinguishable. By such means it is possible to differentiate, for example, among the five types of peripheral blood leucocytes: neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes; between cancerous and normal cells; and between mature and immature cells. Such differentiation enables the cytologist to diagnose certain disease states.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,377 describes a composition for the enumeration and differentiation of leucocytes. A suspension of fresh whole blood in a solution of Acridine Orange (Color Index 46005) having a pH factor and osmolality within normal physiological ranges for human blood is subjected to radiation from a blue laser. White cells are distinguished by detecting the resultant green fluorescence emitted by the stained nuclei of the leucocytes and differentiated by the amplitude of the red fluorescence emitted.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,247 describes a dye composition for the differential analysis of leucocytes comprising a hypotonic aqueous solution of a metachromatic fluorochrome, e.g., Acridine Orange (Color Index 46005). The hypotonic nature of the staining composition causes the rate of dye uptake by the leucocytes to differ among the various leucocyte types. Leucocytes are distinguished from other blood particles by the emission of green fluorescence, and the various types of leucocytes are differentially classified on the basis of different magnitudes of red and green fluorescences emitted.
Blum, R. S., Glade, P. R., and Chessin, L. N., "Euchrysine, A Supravital Fluorescent Lysosomal Stain: Technic and Application for Hematologic Investigation," Blood, 33(1):87-99, 1969 describes methods for the preparation of Euchrysine (Color Index 46040), an aminoacridine fluorescent supravital dye, into a form suitable for hematologic investigation and its use in the characterization of lysosomes in human peripheral blood, bone marrow, and established lymphoid cell lines (maintained in vitro).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,690 is directed to apparatus and a method for photoelectrically measuring size and fluorescent response of cells from biological material. The size of the cells, having been previously stained with a fluorochrome, such as Acridine Orange or Euchrysine, is determined by radiation scatter effect, and the fluorescent response of the cells, measured at a plurality of separate wavelengths, provides some indication of nucleic acid content of the cell.
The dyes employed in the above references, Acridine Orange or Euchrysine, have disadvantages in that they produce background fluorescence.
The use of certain styryl dyes as biological stains has been described in U.K. Published Application No. 2,074,340A and in Bereiter-Hahn, "Dimethylaminostyrylmethylpyridiniumiodine (DASPMI) as a Fluorescent Probe for Mitochondria In Situ", Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 423:1-14, 1976.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,121 describes a method for selecting methine dyes, especially cyanine dyes, that inhibit the growth of cells. Dyes containing a pyrylium nucleus are mentioned as being useful, among others. In the present work, it has also been noted that the compounds described herein are capable of inhibiting the growth of cells, especially somatic cells.